ABC's The Rookie wrapped up its 8th season with exciting developments. Throughout the season, the police team faced numerous dangerous criminals and experienced beautiful moments in the Chenford relationship. However, there were also some disappointing moments. The series maintained its commitment to documentary-style episodes, and Season 8 featured a lot of returns from old characters that didn’t contribute to the current storyline. I might have thought the season was not very balanced, but thanks to the final scene, I can't wait to watch the next season.

In the finale, the notorious criminal Heath Everett (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) manages to escape while being transferred from Terminal Island prison to a nearby courthouse. While the escape scene is incredible, a helicopter lifts the vehicle Everett is in with a massive magnet and flies away. The LAPD conducts a small operation to recapture Everett on a large ship near San Diego. Firefighter Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) also joins the operation. After intense confrontations, Everett is captured, but during the incident, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) gets separated from the group and falls into the water. Bailey saves him, preventing a worse tragedy.

Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore) decides to join Everett's legal team instead of rejecting the bribe offered. He asks Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) to withdraw the bribery accusation, but Tim refuses and says their friendship is over. In the finale, Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) tells Tim that Wesley is actually working as a double agent to catch Everett. However, since this information is not shown on screen, it seems like an unrealistic and unethical solution. Wesley needed a more detailed resolution on this matter.

Miles Penn (Deric Augustine) also experiences significant developments in this episode. With everyone busy with Everett's escape, Miles starts managing the station. He fails to maintain control against drunk and aggressive criminals, leading to a conflict at the station. Miles is not put on duty when he sees that an inmate has died and an officer has been injured. Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) brings him good news: the other two officers had actually not investigated the suspect and were carrying weapons. Miles is not at fault, but he has to stay in the emergency training program for three more weeks. Nyla says she will write a recommendation for him to leave the program early.

Tim decides to propose to Lucy. The ring gets lost at first but is found. As Tim and Lucy walk on the beach during sunset, Tim tells Lucy how valuable she is in his life and proposes. Lucy accepts, and a sweet engagement moment occurs. However, during this scene, two people suddenly come in and stab Tim and Lucy in the neck! One says, "Heath Everett says, revenge is painful!" and the episode ends. Tim and Lucy are kidnapped and lose consciousness.

This is a perfect ending point for the season. It creates enough intrigue for Season 9, so viewers will want to come back. Although there are some weak points in the episode, the ship operation was an exciting scene, and Everett has become the new main villain of the series. The Rookie has once again earned my admiration with this finale.